


riding on a shooting star

by graceana



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Marriage Proposal, i have no idea how chopsticks actually work, i say this every time but i am so bad at endings i'm sorry, i was making myself cry because its so ridiculous, i was so emotional while writing this oh my god, im also bad at wedding speeches, nor do i know how much wedding rings are or how british money works, this is really just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-14
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-12-29 08:54:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1003447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graceana/pseuds/graceana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>au. louis’ a little spontaneous with buying rings and popping the question with a lion painted on his face. </p><p> </p><p>  <em>“You’re a menace,” he states with stardust eyes.</em><br/><em>“Yeah, but I’m your menace,” Louis cheesily says before pecking a kiss to Harry’s lips.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	riding on a shooting star

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to go a totally different way than it did but i'm glad it wen this way instead if i'm honest.  
> i edited this like always but if there are any mistakes still, i do apologise, i didn't have anyone beta this time but hope you like it !! 
> 
> (title from 'runaway' by mat kearney)

“I’m gonna propose,” Louis states.

The sun is shining high in the sky; it’s a surprisingly clear day for England, which everyone is thankful for. Louis’ always thought about proposing to Harry, especially since they’ve been dating for almost 4 years now, but when him and Zayn walk past the jewelry display window and the diamonds sparkled from the light hitting them, Louis decided there and then that he was going to _now_ or, well get a ring now, at least.

“What?” Zayn’s eyebrows rise on his forehead even though he’s not all that surprised.

“I’m proposing to Harry,” Louis repeats himself, eyes never leaving the window display that he’s been staring intently at for the past minute.

“Did you just decide on this now?” clear amusement sounds through Zayn’s voice as he steps closer to the window next to Louis to look inside.

“Pretty much,” he deadpans.

“Good ol’ Tommo,” Zayn chuckles, patting him on the back, “So, how you gonna go about it?”

Louis turns to him with a thoughtful expression on his face that makes his eyebrows knit together, a little crease appearing on his forehead.

“I’m not sure yet. Something great though,” he nods to himself.

“Wouldn’t expect anything less. Wanna go inside and look at rings then?” Zayn ponders, he walks backwards towards the inside of the store.

Louis chuckles as he follows behind him without a second thought. 

♡

“Wow,” he breathes looking down at the small rectangle box that holds about 30 bands.

They’re all silver or white gold, but each have something different about them, whether it be a pattern or a simple gem inserted around it.

“Which do you think he’d like?” Louis turns to Zayn, his fringe falling over his blue eyes.

“Hmm, which one do you notice first when you look at them?”

Louis looks back down at the case and then lifts his eyes back up to the young saleswomen who smiles at him sweetly. He scans the case when he looks back down, his eyes stop over a simple white gold band with two parallel tracks that run around the whole thing making the middle seem raised.

He picks it up and feels the cool metal between his fingertips, a blinding smile starts to stretch across his face as a fireplace starts to flicker in his chest.

“This one,” he says, barely a whisper.

Sliding the ring on his own finger, he looks down at it and how the lights over head make it almost look like its sparkling. He can’t help when the smile that’s already plastered on his face grows bigger, making the appels of his cheeks hurt and eyes go blurry.

He’s in a trance when Zayn nudges his shoulder, “Did you hear that?” he’s asking him.

“Hmm?” Louis asks, looking back down at the small band and picturing it on Harry’s pale hand among all the other silly rings he wears.

“The price, Louis.”

That seems to get him out of his trance. He slides the ring back off and places it on the counter, “Oh right, how much?” he gulps. It has to be well over a grand, even for its simplicity he can tell that it’s pricey with the elegant design.

He’s willing to pay no matter how much it is, and he’s secure in his savings and his job as an acting coach, but he’s still nervous to know how much will be drained from the account.

“£1200,” the woman says, her bright pink lips pressed tightly together.

“Oh,” Louis bites his lip, looking down at the ring as he does some mental math in his head.

He turns to Zayn after a moment and smiles brightly at him.

“Mate, you’re gone,” Zayn laughs lightly, but his eyes are smiling at the corners and a tooth eating grin forms across his tanned skin.

“Have been for 3 years,” Louis says, exasperated.

Turning back to the woman, he smiles the same at her as he reaches in his back pocket for his wallet, “I’ll take it.”

She nods softly and excuses herself to go get the velvet box to put the ring in.

She returns moments later with a deep blue velvet box that she carefully slots the ring into the little slit and snaps it shut.

“Over here, please,” she directs them over to the cash register where she rings Louis up. With the slide of his card and signature of his name he’s walking out the door with the small square box burning a hole into the pocket of his jacket.

“So now what?” Zayn glances over to Louis as they cross the street to continue to the park to meet Harry, Liam and Niall for their usual Friday night of crappy films and pizza over at Niall’s house.

“I’ve got to be a gentleman don’t I?” Louis smirks.

“You’re gonna go do it all properly aren’t you?” Zayn says smugly.

They can see the three other boys in the distance as they stand at the edge of the pond. There really isn’t even a real reason for them to all meet up at the park, but they’ve been doing it for so long it’s just a habit now.

“Yup,” Louis continues, Harry turns around like he can sense him and smiles his moonbeam smile that takes up nearly his whole face, “I gotta ask Anne for his hand first.”

“Only you, Louis, only you,” Zayn chuckles.

♡

It’s not like Anne will tell him no to marrying her son, but even if they have been dating for 3 years and already live together there’s still a chance that she doesn’t think that Louis is good enough for Harry.

He shakes his head, opening the car door and stepping out into the misty air. The sky is overcast in grey today, back to the old ways. He sighs as he blindly fixes his fringe before walking up to the all too familiar doorstep.

Steeling himself for a moment and taking a deep breath, Louis finally knocks. He can feel the nerves and panic rise in his chest. He closes his eyes and inhales deeply.

When Anne opens the door with a sweet smile and soft eyes he exhales and feels a little at ease.

“Louis?” she questions, her soft features pull in confusion as she lets him inside.

“Aren’t you and Harry supposed to be coming later?”

Louis takes off his damp shoes and places them near the door before continuing through the home that he’s been in so many times it’s very much like his own. He follows her into the kitchen where she motions for him to sit down. He obliges and watches as she prepares two mugs, the spoons clinking against the porcelain as she stirs in the milk.

“Thank you,” Louis mumbles as he lets the sweet aroma of the hot chocolate wash over his face. He takes a sip, relishing in the warmth that spreads through his body.

He clears his throat to finally answer her question from earlier, “Yeah, we are but I wanted to ask you something. And I really couldn’t bring Harry for me to ask you.” He looks nervously down into the cup, watches as the brown liquid swirls from the milk and steams up from the heat.

“Oh?” she says.

Looking up, Louis can see the small pull of a smile hidden in the corner of her mouth, like she _knows_ what this is about.

Smiling shyly, he clears his throat again before taking another short sip of the hot cocoa.

“Umm, I would like to ask you if I could marry Harry?” When the words finally leave his tongue there’s a swell of adoration in his chest that he can feel getting bigger with each passing second and by the glistening look in Anne’s eyes and the way she’s pulling him up into a hug says anything, then she must know how much this means to him.

She hugs him tightly, her small arms squeezing the life out of him as her own arms hug around her smaller frame.

When she pulls away there are tears running down her face, but a loving smile planted on her lips.

She giggles lightheartedly, “Of course you can have H’s hand.”

It takes him a second to process her words before he has his own tears streaking down his cheeks. The burst of affection must be clear on his face because Anne hugs him again; it’s one of those mother hugs that somehow cures everything even if it’s nothing bad, like in this case for instance.

She pulls away to run her thumbs over his numb cheeks, from smiling, to wipe away the tears, “I know you’ll take care of him, Lou. I could tell from the moment I met you that you would never let anything bad ever happen to him. Even now, with him not even here I can see the little hint of protectiveness you have in your eyes for him. And I know how much you love him and how much he loves _you_. So, yes, you absolutely have my blessing to marry by baby boy.”

This time he hugs her, one tight squeeze that she chuckles into, “Thank you,” he murmurs before pulling away.

“So how’re you going to do it?” she ponders, sitting back down.

“I’m not too sure yet,” he answers, tapping his thumb against the table.

“What about the ring?” her eyes glow in the yellow kitchen light.

He smiles, slipping his hand into his pocket pulling out the small velvet box. He’s been carrying it around with him for the last two days, just to make sure that Harry doesn’t find it because he does do his laundry and also because you never know when the ‘right time’ could come along.

He slides the blue box over to Anne who slowly opens it and gasps, “It’s stunning, Lou.”

The smile that shows across his face is elastic.

“When’d you get it?” she takes one final look before closing the lid and pushing it back over to Louis, who places it securely back into his pocket.

“Friday,” he informs her, smile still planted on both their faces.

She shakes her head fondly, “Only you, Louis.”

 “Well I should be getting back to Harry now, I told him I was going to get bread,” he chuckles.

“Alright, well when you come up with something let me know,” she beckons to him as she walks him towards the door.

“I will,” he kisses her cheek.

“See you later Lou,” she calls after him.

“See you later!” he shouts back.

Once he’s in his car and on his way back home two thoughts cross his mind: one, he really needs to figure out how he’s going to uniquely propose to Harry and two, he should probably actually stop and get bread so Harry doesn’t get suspicious.

♡

When Louis gets back to the flat, bread in hand, he’s caught off guard by getting bombarded with a huge, warm body.

“What took you so long?” Harry pouts into Louis’ neck.

Rolling his eyes fondly, Louis gently pushes Harry away and even before he can start to pout Louis kisses him sweetly on the mouth.

“There are many types of breads out there, Harold,” he deadpans, continuing into the kitchen.

He places the bag with the bread on the counter. Before he has time to turn around Harry wraps his long arms around Louis’ waist and kisses his neck with a line of light pecks.

Louis smiles and tilts his head to the side to give Harry easier access. He slides his own hands over Harry’s larger ones and laces them together. When he closes his eyes and focuses on their left hands it’s like he can already feel the way the two bands will align perfectly together.

“You’re very smiley today,” Harry whispers against his ear.

“I’m always smiley,” Louis points out, looking behind him so he can see Harry’s pine colored eyes.

“No, but today you’re smile is different,” Harry sing-songs.

“Oh really?” Louis queries with a lilt in his voice.

“Yes,” Harry kisses Louis’ cheek.

“And how is it different?”

“Well this smile is your really happy one, right, which you always have, but then just about there,” he turns Louis around nda gently pokes just below the corner of his mouth, “Is your secret smile.”

Louis doesn’t tense just rolls his eyes and shoves Harry’s shoulder playfully, “As if I’d keep a secret from you, babe.”

“Well pretty boys always have secrets,” Harry echoes himself from years ago, before they started dated.

When they first met Louis played hard to get, didn’t give Harry the light of day for weeks. When he finally let Harry talk to him, he still didn’t let him take him out right away. It wasn’t like he didn’t like Harry because, in all honesty, he adored the boy so much that it was actually killing him not to just go out with him already, but he wanted to see how long the boy with the deep dimples would keep up with his games.

One day, when Harry showed up at the small smoothie place where Louis was working at the time, he had leaned in close until his pretty mouth was right next to Louis’ ear and had whispered, “I think you’ve got a secret Louis. The pretty boys always have secrets,” then smirked at him and walked out of the shop.

Louis was dumbfounded for a suspended moment before he was yelling to Aiden that he was going on his break, which he didn’t even have, to run out the door. Harry was perched on the brick wall where the smoothie place and bookshop separated and looked up at him with a smug grin.

“So I’ve got a secret?” Louis had impassively said as he stood in front of Harry.

Harry nodded as he sucked on his straw, hollowing out his cheeks.

“Then what is it?” Louis had challenged.

Harry popped his lips as he lowered his drink, “‘M not sure, but it’s hidden right there,” then he poked the corner of Louis mouth.

A moment passed between them before Louis had confessed that his secret was that he really liked Harry, quite pathetically if he cares to admit, and then yanked Harry’s strawberry banana flavored lips down to lick the taste out of his mouth.

It’s quite a love story now that he thinks back on it.

“You gonna tell me?” Harry says pulling Louis out of his flashback.

“Nope, you’re just gonna have to wait this one out Styles,” Louis walks out of the kitchen, swaying his hips theatrically, for dramatic effect.

“Well, I’ve done that before,” Harry calls after him.

Louis chuckles as he runs up the stairs, Harry’s heavy footsteps follow quickly after him.

He’s in their bed for a moment before Harry pretty much cannonballs onto the mattress, laughing manically.

“You’re ridiculous. Remind me why I’m in a relationship with you again?” Louis inquires as he looks up at the white ceiling.

“Hmm,” Harry comes into his line of vision, aligning their bodies together from the chest down. His curls outline his face like a lit up halo from the dim afternoon light that flits through the windows, his eyes seafoam when he blinks slowly down at Louis.

Louis’ breathe hitches as his heart starts to race under his ribcage. The small velvet box in his pocket sparks a small fire at the same time his chest warms with how much love he has for this ridiculous boy above him.

This feeling has happened about a million other times before, but Louis remembers vividly when it first happened he had panicked, almost run out of Harry’s flat and into his own two blocks over, instead he looked into Harry’s sparkling eyes and kissed him and hoped that Harry understood everything he was trying to say.

He remembers Harry humming then pulling away and sucking a light mark to his neck.

“Maybe it’s because you’re in love with me,” Harry finishes his thought from earlier.

“Don’t know how I let that happen,” Louis jokes, pulling Harry down by the nape of his neck into a kiss.

“Me either, didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Harry ghosts across his lips.

Louis wraps his legs around Harry’s narrow waist and skillfully flips them so he’s straddling him.

He leans down so their chests are flush against each other. He kisses below the shell of Harry’s ear before whispering, “More like I didn’t know what _I_ was getting _myself_ in to,” he grinds down on Harry suggestively, making the younger boy let out a bark of laughter.

“You’re a menace,” he states with stardust eyes.

“Yeah, but I’m _your_ menace.” Louis cheekily says before pecking a kiss to Harry’s lips.

Harry tires to pull Louis back for more but Louis’ jumping off of him and scurrying out of the room, “Not now Styles, we’ve got to go to your Mum’s soon!”

“Tease!” Harry shouts.

“Wouldn’t be the same if I wasn’t!”

♡

“Where’s my money boys?” Niall crosses his ankles over one another as he lifts them on the table.

“What?” Louis’ eyebrows quirk a moment before recognition crosses over his face, “You idiots did not place bets on this.”

“Oh but we did,” Niall says, obviously.

“You know, I can’t even say I’m all that surprised,” Louis admits, taking a sip from his beer.

Him, Niall, Liam and Zayn are at Liam’s while Harry is off at work teaching Mums and their children to do weird poses that help relax them. Louis isn’t complaining though because yoga makes Harry very flexible, so it’s a win win.

“Have you figured out how you’re gonna do it yet?” Zayn takes a chip from the bowl on Liam’s lap.

“No. Of everything else I can think of I can’t think of a way to propose. I think I’m getting rusty,” he pouts.

“Well you are getting pretty old,” Liam deadpans.

Louis’ mouth drops. He grabs the throw pillow from behind him and throws it at Liam, wondering briefly if that’s why they named them that, and shouting, “I’m only 26 you bastard!”

Liam laughs, tossing it back over to a pouty Louis.

“Don’t worry mate, you’ll know when the time is right,” he shrugs.

“That’s what I was trying to avoid. I want it to be spontaneous and special,” his bottom lip is so far out it’s like a mini-cliff.

“Lou, I’m sure even if you made him burnt toast and bought him a rose and asked him in the morning he would think it was the best thing ever, okay? No matter how you do it it’ll be great,” Liam says around a mouthful of chips.

Louis slouches back into the couch, Liam does have a point, but that still doesn’t stop the nagging in the back of Louis’ mind that chants at him throughout every minute of every day: _whenwherehow whenwherehow whenwherehow._

 “Hey guys how long do you think it’ll be before they adopt?” Niall wonders aloud.

Zayn and Liam start making guesses of 2 years after the wedding. Louis smiles down at himself, shaking his head as he thinks about seeing Harry walk down the aisle in a crisp suit, then them together signing papers at an adoption agency; them starting a family together. His heart races in his chest a million miles a minute.

If you asked him 4 years ago, when he first met Harry on a gloomy day in March, that he would be proposing to him in the future Louis would’ve scoffed and told you to get a grip, because Louis Tomlinson does not plan on getting married, _ever._ Yet here he is, sitting in one of his best mates flat as they bicker over when he and Harry will adopt.

He can’t even begin to explain the feeling in his chest. It makes his head spin like he’s on a tilt-a-whirl at an amusement park, it makes his eyes go blurry and head go fuzzy like he’s drunk, but it’s so much stronger than any alcohol he’s ever had.

Louis is quickly pulled out of his thought when he hears Niall challenge, “Bet on it?”

 “You’re on Troy Bolton,” Zayn accepts.

He chuckles, “You guys are assholes.”

“Whatever, but in three years when you have a kid these two owe me £50, each,” Niall says smugly.

Silence settles over them while the TV plays Alan Carr.

A commercial flickers across the screen when Zayn turns so he’s glancing over at Louis, “Hey Lou? Who’s gonna be your bestman?”

Shit.

The three start rambling on about how they should be his bestman when his phone buzzes in his pocket.

_be home in 10 .xx_

_see you there x_

“Sorry lads, I would love to stay and talk about this but the Hubby calls,” he waves his phone in the air as he heads out the door.

Before the door has closed all the way he hears Niall ask, “How much more whipped do y’think Lou will be when he’s _actually_ married to Harry?”

Niall is a right bastard.

♡

“Honey I’m home!” Louis calls through the flat as he shrugs out of his jacket, the ring still safely in his pocket.

“About time, I’ve brought takeaway!” Harry shouts back from what sounds like the living room.

Sure enough when Louis walks down the short hallway and turns the corner Harry is on the couch with Chinese containers strewn across the coffee table.

“Did you get enough?” Louis mocks, pecking a kiss on Harry’s sweet and salty lips from the food.

“Wasn’t sure what you wanted,” he shrugs.

“Harry, I’ve gotten the same thing ever time since we started dating,” Louis rolls his eyes, he picks up a set of chop sticks and opens up one of the little square cartons until he finds the Lo Mein.

Harry doesn’t reply, too focused on trying to pick up a dumpling with his own set of chopsticks. He tries every time to use them and you would think after years of Louis showing him and helping him he would have it down like a professional, but sadly he does not.

The little dumpling slips in the container as Harry tries to grab it between the two little sticks. Harry pouts.

“Here babe like this,” Louis says, positioning Harry’s fingers around the sticks until he’s holding them somewhat properly, “Then you move them like this,” he instructs, using his own chopsticks as an example of how to move them between your thumb and pointer finger.

Harry pokes out his bubblegum pink tongue as he very steadily picks up one of the dumplings and carefully dips it into the little plastic bowl with the sauce so he doesn’t drop it. He quickly brings it to his mouth before it slips off the chopsticks and chews.

After swallowing he looks over to Louis with shining eyes, “What would I do without you?” he goes for another and does it expertly.

Louis’ heart flutters in his chest like a hummingbird flying from flower to flower in a green field. He twists his Lo Mein around his own chopsticks and continues to openly stare at how Harry still carefully uses his chopsticks.

He brings his own chopsticks up to his own mouth, but might forget to actually eat it before Harry is clearing his throat with a chuckle, “Pumpkin, you’re staring.”

Louis gently sets his untouched Lo Mein on the coffee table and takes Harry’s own food out of his hands, earning a pout, before he pushes Harry so he’s lying on the back of the couch and kissing him soundly. His heart is exploding with confetti, bursting with fireworks, every cliché and explosion you can think of, Louis’ heart is doing.

“You make me ridiculous, did you know that?” he whispers over Harry’s lips.

“Maybe just a little,” Harry cheeks.

Louis rolls his eyes and briefly thinks that right now would be the perfect time to pop the question, but it passes quickly when Harry starts kissing him again.

“Hey,” he pecks Louis’ lip and pulls away, “There’s a carnival this weekend, we should go. Maybe ask the boys to come along as well.”

“Sounds like a date,” Louis says leaning back down to suck a pink mark on Harry’s neck.

“I have classes tomorrow,” Harry whines.

Louis giggles into the curve of Harry’s neck and shoulder, “I know.”

“You little shit,” Harry says breathlessly, he starts to tickle Louis’ side making them both fall off the couch.

Louis’ so in love he’s not sure how he’s managed not to explode from the power of it yet.

♡

That Saturday when Louis and Harry are waiting outside of Zayn’s flat for him and the other two boys, Louis is overcome with a wave of _this is the night_. His chest warms like every other time he thinks of proposing to Harry, but for some reason tonight it’s even stronger.

He plays it off, because he’s got this feeling a few times this week, like when Harry woke him up with a blowjob and then made him pancakes, or when he ordered a bouquet of Louis’ favorite flowers to be delivered to his job.

Zayn, Niall and Liam slide into the backseat of the car. Zayn shoots him a look from the rearview mirror like he just knows.

“Ready boys?” he asks taking the car out of park.

They chorus that they’re ready and then they’re off to the carnival.

♡

The carnival is your typical, well, carnival.

There are little tents set up with games, stands with all different kinds of treats, which smell delicious, as they float through the air, there are a few small rides for children, but nothing really for adults. The field it’s set up on is glowing under the lights that are aligned along the perimeter, but Louis knows if they weren’t it’d still be lit brightly from the fullness of the moon in the sky.

He pats his jacket pocket lightly to make sure the ring is still there, he still carries it with him everywhere because you simply never know when they right moment could arise; then slips his hands into Harry’s.

“I want a goldfish,” Zayn turns to look at Liam with a pout.

“Alright I’ll get you a goldfish,” he says steering them away from the group.

“Well, I’m going to get something to eat,” Niall, unsurprisingly, says.

Louis and Harry salute them before continuing their walk down the small strip with stands on either side of them.

“Oh, Lou look,” Harry drags them over to a ring toss stand that has different sized stuffed animals, and some of those blow-up hammers hanging around its edge.

“How much?” he asks the man with the, oh so obvious, fake mustache on his face.

“3 for 5 rings,” he states, “Get 3 rings on the bottles you get one of the smaller stuffed animals, get 5 you get the bigger ones,” his accent is Scottish as he explains to them the rules.

Harry takes out his wallet, “Alright, I’ll take 5 rings please,” he hands the man over 3 notes in exchange for the multicolored rings.

He looks down at Louis with a small smile, his green eyes reflecting off the artificial lights that surround them, before leaning down and whispering in his ear, “Kiss for luck?”

Louis rolls his eyes as a blush graces his cheeks. He quickly presses a kiss to Harry’s lips before they stretch into an elastic smile.

The concentration on Harry’s face to get the rings on the bottles is so adorable Louis doesn’t know how much longer he’s going to be able to take it. He’s already on his second set of rings, because he only made one on the bottle for the first set, and the way his eyebrows scrunch and nose wrinkles makes him look like a little kitten trying to jump on a too high sofa.

When he misses the last ring he curses himself under his breath, taking out 3 more notes and handing them over to the smug man.

“Babe, its okay don’t keep spending your money,” Louis tells him.

“But I want to,” Harry tells him softly before turning his full attention back onto the rings.

Louis sighs, beaten, but when he watches the last ring land on one of the bottle necks making it three rings on the bottle and two strewn about his heart jumps.

Harry shouts gleefully and picks Louis off the ground to spin him around and place kisses all over his face.

When his feet hit the ground, his cheeks are on fire.

“Which one?” the man asks, with mock annoyance on his face.

“Hmm,” Harry hums, thinking, “The monkey.”

The man hands over the Build-A-Bear sized monkey with a thin smile.

Harry hands it over to Louis with a kiss to the cheek as they walk off.

“What should we name him?” Louis asks as he cradles the stuffed animal in the arm that isn’t holding Harry’s hands.

“He looks like Theo to me.”

“Well, then. Theo it is,” Louis smiles.

They walk around trying to spot any of the other boys’ for a while. They pass the small funhouse, that children of all ages keep going in and out of with huge smiles on their ice cream covered faces. The smells from the food stands wrap around Louis’ senses until it’s the only thing he can think about.

“I want funnel cake,” Louis whines.

“Alright, alright. C’mon,” Harry laughs like a fond mother, leading them over to the funnel cake stand they  passed a few minutes ago.

He stops about 3 stands down, “Lou,” he deadpans, he’s staring at one of the stands, but Louis can’t tell which, all he’s focused on is getting the warm, powder sugared treat in his tummy.

“What? Come on H, funnel cake calls,” he tugs on Harry’s unmoving body.

“Let’s get our faces painted,” Harry turns to him with large saucer eyes.

Louis sighs deeply, “You’re lucky I love you.”

Harry bounces on his feet, kissing Louis quickly before leading them over to the stand with the petite brunette who is currently filing her nails.

“Are you still open?” Harry asks in a tentative voice.

The girl looks up at them under heavy black lashes and nods, motioning for him to take a seat.

“What would you like?” she asks sweetly, wiping off some brushes on the table next to her and grabbing a few triangle sponges.

“I think, I think I want a tiger,” Harry says with conviction.

The girl doesn’t even seem taken aback when she hands Harry the four designs he can choose from for a tiger. He picks the one on the upper right, which Louis isn’t too surprised about, with pink and purple shades mingling together.

Louis sits down in the seat next to him, he starts looking through the small pictures, that the girl handed him, to figure out what he would like his face painted as.

A few minutes pass when Louis feels a tap on his shoulder.

Harry’s staring at him with questioning eyes like _how does it look?_

There are black lines wisping up the bridge of Harry’s nose to his forehead before they ripple down the side of his eyes. The black lines are placed along his face in different areas: three on his forehead, some near his cheeks, where his dimples are, and then two that mirror each on his cheekbones, finally one on his cupid’s bow.

The inside of his eyes along with his nose and mouth are filled with a light layer of white while his cheeks and forehead are blotched in bright pink and purple, even a little shimmer sparkling on his cheeks.

Louis smiles, “You look adorable.”

Harry beams, the makeup around his cheeks stretching up to make him look like a feline, “Your turn.”

They switch seats as the girl cleans off the brushes she used on Harry, “What would you like?” she asks.

“A lion cub,” Louis says pointing to the picture in the small book she has.

She nods as she starts to work on his face with the different colored paints. He can feel the sticky paint when she starts to pat it on with the triangle sponges, and the coolness of the strokes from the brushes.

It doesn’t take long before she’s shooing them away with a kind smile, both of their faces painted to show their personalities. Louis’ guarded, the protector of the pack and Harry’s bright and fun.

Finally they get their funnel cake, heading off to one of the scattered benches that are on the outskirts of the carnival itself.

They sit with the flimsy paper plate between them as the pick at the funnel cake, Theo laying on the table behind them. The carnival is behind them with its bright lights, laughing children, and dinging of game winners.  They look out across the vast filed that’s in front of them, as the few stars that are out twinkle down at them, the moon smiling.

Louis turns to say something to Harry, he’s not sure what, but his voice is caught in his throat when he sees how the moon is making the ridiculous sparkles shimmer on Harry’s face. There’s a little dusting of white on his lips from the funnel cake that Louis wants to kiss off.

His heart speeds up as his pocket becomes heavy with heat, pulling him down until he finds himself reaching inside and sliding his fingers over the velvet box.

He tighten his grip around the box as he thinks, _is this the right time?_ There’s a shout from behind him, then a dinging from someone winning a prize, a child screams as they go down the tall slide.

 _It’s now or never_ , he thinks.

Glancing up at the stars one last time he takes a deep breath before getting down on one knee between Harry’s legs.

“Babe, what until we get home,” Harry says, ushering him to get up. There’s hint of nervousness in his voice.

Louis shakes his head as he grabs Harry’s hand in his own, “Wanna know my secret?” he whispers.

Harry’s eyes go wide, a small smile playing on his lips as he nods.

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You make me crazy sometimes with how much I love you and from the moment I met you, when you walked into that god for saken smoothie shop 4 years ago with your hair in a fucking bandana and all disheveled from taking class I knew I was a goner. You’re so ridiculous with your pink and purple face makeup and how you _still_ can’t use chopsticks, but that’s what makes me love you even more, even if you continue to drive me insane and make my chest feel like it’s going to explode at any given moment,” he takes a breath, looks Harry dead in the eyes as he pulls out the navy box and clicks it open, “Marry me?” His heartbeat thuds in his chest faster with each passing moment.

Harry looks down into the box where the ring sits before looking back up at Louis with glistening eyes, “Yes,” he says breathlessly, “Yes, I’ll marry you, you fool.”

Louis’ then being pulled up by his biceps so he’s to his feet, Harry’s lips are on his the moment he’s steady, kissing him deeply.

He slips the ring out of the box between them and finds Harry’s finger, counting three over on his left hand, blindly, before slipping it on. He laces their hands together and when he feels the cool metal against his own fingers he can’t help but smile into the kiss.

Harry pulls away, resting his forehead against Louis’.

“I think he’s done it,” they hear someone whisper from behind them.

Louis peeks over Harry’s shoulder to find Niall, Liam and Zayn frozen in their spots and says, just loud enough so they can hear, “I’ve done it!”

The three of them come jogging over enveloping them with a group hug. Harry’s arms wrap around the four of them, him and Louis face each other with smiling eyes.

“Love you,” Harry mouths.

“Love you too,” Louis says back.

The boys pull way with sounds of disgust, but wide smiles on their faces.

“So,” Niall starts and Louis already knows what’s coming. He slips his hand into Harry’s, “Who’s going to be the bestmans?”

Harry looks down at their interlocked hands then into Louis’ eyes.

“They’re gonna run,” Zayn says, a fond expression lining his features.

“They’re so gonna run,” Liam echoes.

He taps his thumb three times against Harry’s, signaling for them to run.

Harry skids by the table and grabs Theo before they’re sprinting through the carnival, dodging families and couples alike as the lights shine off their eyes and shimmers off the glitter scattered on Harry’s face.

He peeks a look down at their hands and catches how the wedding band reflects against the lights through the carnival and thinks to himself that he couldn’t have asked Harry in a better way than how he did, with their faces painted ridiculously and funnel cake icing dusting their lips.

When they crash into the side of the car, Harry pulls him so he’s pressed again his chest, their faces inches away from each other, Theo squished between them.

“You’re a menace,” he echoes himself from earlier in the week.

“Yeah,” Louis presses a kiss to his lips, he hears the other three catching up to them, still bickering over who’s going to be the best man, “But I’m _your_ menace.” 

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments always appreciated .x 
> 
> i'm so sorry if the ending wasn't spectacular, endings are the hardest thing for me to write


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